
7 





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[Reprinted from the Boston Medical and Surgical Journal, 
Vol. civ, No. 12, pp. 307-309, Sept. 20, 1906.] 



THE WINTER CLIMATE OF TUCSON, PIMA 
COUNTY, ARIZONA. 

BY ISAAC W. BREWER, M.D., FORT HUACHUCA, ARIZ. 

The town of Tucson is situated in the midst 
of an extensive mesa that is bounded on the north 
by the Santa CataUna and TortoUta mountains, 
on the east by the Santa Catahna and Rincon 
ranges, on the south by the Santa Rita mountains 
and on the west by the Tucson range. The 
Santa Cruz River runs through the town and 
furnishes water for drinking and irrigation. The 
surrounding mountains are clad in hve oaks 
and pines and the Santa Rita and Santa CataUna 
ranges have been made forest reserves. The 
elevation of Tucson is 2,368 feet above sea level, 
while the highest peak in the vicinity, Mount 
Lemmon, has an altitude of 10,110 feet. 

The name Tucson is said to come from the 
Indian word " Chookson " meaning black water. 

The Spaniards established a presidio at Tucson 
to protect the mission of San Xavier del Bac 
during the latter part of the seventeenth century. 
It became a portion of the United States in 1853 
with the rest of the Gadsden purchase. 

Although retaining many quaint old buildings, 
remnants of the Spanish era, it is a modern town 
with water and sewer systems and electric lights, 
and an electric street railroad. In the Mexican 
quarter the streets are narrow, but in the newer 
portions of the town the streets are wide and 
well kept. Ample sidewalks are provided for 
most of the streets and during the past three 






^l 



years the sanitary condition of the town has 
improved very much. 

The majority of the people Hve in cottages 
of six or more rooms with broad verandas and 
grounds. The more pretentious houses are 
built on the mission plan and are very picturesque. 
Adobe (sun dried) bricks are the most popular 
building material. Houses built of it are cool 
in summer and warm in winter. 

Tucson has a population of about 14,000 and 
is the distributing point for a large area and has a 
number of excellent stores. The markets are 
supplied with the best fruits and vegetables 
that Southern California affords. Prices are 
high but not in excess of what is charged in other 
places in Arizona. Servants are hard to get 
and wages are high. Small cottages rent for 
from $35 up. There are twelve hotels in the 
town, the best and most modern is the Santa 
Rita, a large four-story mission building. 

The school facilities are good. The University 
of Arizona which is located in the town, while 
not as well equipped as many of the older univer- 
sities, offers a number of very good courses, 
especially in mining, engineering and assaying. 
Most of the religious denominations are repre- 
sented by churches. There is a well-stocked 
library in the town. 

During the past year many of the saloons and 
all of the gambling places have been closed up. 

In the immediate vicinity of the town there 
is much of interest. Those who love flowers 
will enjoy watching the experiments that are 
being carried on at the Desert Botanical Labora- 
tory, just outside of the town. 

The old Mission of San Xavier del Bac with 
its Indian colony is well worth a visit. The 
mission was established by Father Kino about 

2 

tJift 
Author 

(Person ) 



the middle of the seventeenth century. It was 
from this base that he made those remarkable 
missionary journeys through the arid plains of 
Southern Arizona. During the latter part of 
the eighteenth century Father Garces, the 
greatest of Arizona's explorers, made his head- 
quarters at San Xavier. 

For many years the mission was deserted and 
neglected, but it has been restored and reoccu- 
pied. 

The roads leading from the town are fairly 
good and the mines in the surrounding mountains 
are very interesting. 

There is a limited amount of game in the 
vicinity and the climate is such that camping 
is enjoyable at all seasons. 

Climatically the Arizona stations may be 
divided into winter stations of which phoe- 
nix is the best known, all-the-year-round sta- 
tions of which ^rescott is the best known and 
summer stations of w^hich Flagstaff is the most 
important. 

Tucson is distinctly a w^inter station. In the 
summer the weather is very hot and but few 
invalids are able to remain after the first part 
of April. In the following tables are presented 
The available meteorological data for the six 
months from October to March, inclusive. The 
temperature is expressed in degrees Fahrenheit, 
the humidity in percentage of saturation, pre- 
cipitation in inches and tenths and the wind 
velocity in miles per hour. The records are for 
jlifferent periods but are the best that can be had. 
Y if Number of days during the five years from 1901 

/ ^u-^iJ^^^-'to 1905 the maximum and minimum temperatures 
were above and below certain critical points. 

From a study of the accompanying tables it 
will be seen that Tucson is a station of mod- 



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erate elevation, with a warm winter climate and 
clear, dry atmosphere. 

During October the maximum reaches 90° 
or above on an average of ten days a year. Dur- 
ing the other months the highest temperature 
occasionallv reaches 90° but is between 40° and 
70° 50% of the time. The nights are often 
cold, but the minimum is above 40° more than 
half of the time. The lowest temperature 
recorded was 10° in December, a minimum of 
11° having been observed in February. The 
mean minimum temperature, which may be 
considered as the temperature shortly before 
sunrise, for the winter months is 38°. 

A study of Table II will give a fair idea of the 
temperature conditions that may be expected 
to obtain. 

The relative humidity averages about 46% 
and varies but little from month to month. 

During the six months under consideration 
66% of the days are liable to be clear and but 
6% cloudy. Rain falls on an average of nineteen 
days. 

The prevailing direction of the wind is from 
the south and the velocity averages between 
five and six miles per hour. There are occa- 
sional dust storms that blow^ with considerable 
force but they are infrequent during the winter 
and fall. 

In winter Tucson has a higher temperature 

and lower humidity than many of the noted 

resorts in this country and abroad. It is a little 

cooler and dryer than Cairo, Egypt, although 

"the rainfall is greater. 

Tucson is a desirable winter resort for persons 
in the early stages of tuberculosis, but not for 
advanced cases. Unfortunately, many delay 
coming to the southwest until the disease is 



well developed, and although some of them do 
well the greater majority do not improve. Such 
persons do better at lower stations or at home. 
Tucson is a growing town in a growing country, 
and many persons who are not very sick have 
found employment in the mines in the neighbor- 
ing mountains or in the business houses of the 
town. For persons with visible symptoms the 
outlook is not so good as there is a disinclination 
on the part of the business men of this region 
to employ those who may be a menace to their 
other employees. It is not advisable for those 
in moderate circumstances to come to the South- 
west trusting to obtain work. 



LIBRPRY OF CONGRESS 




